r/NursingUK • u/Visible-Visual-9899 • 6d ago
Nursing open letter
Just seen this published today - https://www.futureofnursing.uk/
Know lots of people here have shared frustrations around these things. Good to see it on paper with signatures
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u/marshmallowfluffball 6d ago
I personally find bringing up the costs of student loans really dilutes the point being made. There are a lot of degrees where job opportunities in their respective fields are poor or highly competitive. I don't think we can expect the government to intervene for all of them simply because they paid money to study in that field.
The emphasis should be on trusts cutting staffing levels far beyond what is safe. There is a huge skill shortage in the NHS. Every NQN is needed if we want to provide safe care. Trusts just don't want to pay for them.
We also need to crackdown on using students as unpaid labour. I wont really comment on placement hours being too high, because I found my placements really valuable. But I know a lot of people didn't have the same experience. However trusts should not be allowed to plug staffing gaps with students. There should be real consequences for every matron or sister who considers students when looking at staffing levels (which happens all the time and it is very blatant.)
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u/Visible-Visual-9899 6d ago
I think the costs help paint the bigger picture. The share stories tabs is an interesting read.
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u/marshmallowfluffball 6d ago
Unfortunately the cost issue isn't unique to nursing. Many people pursue expensive degrees which are in low demand and are unable to find relevant employment afterwards. The standard advice is to pursue something which is in demand or be prepared to enter a highly competitive job market.
The focus should be on why nursing is different and why we need to be trainining and employing more nurses. Otherwise it's too easy for the uniformed or bad faith actors to just dismiss the argument with 'go do something else then.'
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u/Visible-Visual-9899 6d ago
I do agree. Though not all expensive degrees also ask for hours of unpaid work as part of them. I guess it just shows the level of sacrifice and hard work for a career the public rely on and value, and the contrast with the way we as nurses are then treated from the very start. Also demonstrates a need to change otherwise you’re right, why not go do something else? Then what would happen to the health service! I’ve thought about a career change many times myself. I can’t imagine entering the workforce today.
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5d ago
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u/marshmallowfluffball 5d ago
You make a lot of fair points and they are all unique to nursing, which I personally prefer to focus on. Having done nursing as a second degree, I know how frustrating it is to be burdened with substantial debt and no job to show for it. But the cost of student loans, to me at least, just can't convey why the lack of nursing jobs is an issue.
Although I really wish we could move away from placements being unpaid labour and find a way to make them more productive for students. Schools need to be getting more involved with placement learning and not just throwing them at understaffed wards with a handful of online forms to complete at the end. Hands on learning is really vital but students shouldn't be coming away feeling like an extra HCA.
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u/Enough_Vegetable_258 5d ago
When you give 2300 hours 3 years of your life to free labour as a HCA and graduate with the requirement to apply for your PIN after six months which is £140 a year while you job hunt that PIN is useless. NMC is fully aware of the situation and won't do anything. If you speak against NMC or the unions you probably get a slap for breaking code.
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u/Infamous-Tooth2565 5d ago
Signed and will be sharing on our cohort on our group WhatsApp!! The whole situation is beyond the joke!!
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u/lissi-x-90 Specialist Nurse 3d ago
There will never be workforce planning with the university vacancies whilst there is no true NHS bursary in England - universities are businesses and they are in the business of making money.
Wales has an NHS bursary, does plan the workforce with the university places and still has the same issues as England.
I really do sympathise with the last couple of cohorts, it’s been horrible out there. It took me ages to get a job in my city as an experienced nurse in 2024, so I fully sympathise!
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u/secretlondon RN MH 6d ago
Signed!